Expert Workshop on Land Tenure for Drylands Development

CGIAR System-wide Program on Collective Action and Property Rights • February 2005

This set of research briefs presents a summary of research work undertaken jointly by the International Livestock Research Institute, the International Food Policy Research Institute, and the University of Göttingen. It also includes contributions from other authors who share a similar interest in the sustainable use and management of rangeland resources.

The overall goal of this workshop was to create momentum for a decentralized initiative which would promote the recognition in policy and other circles of the potential ecosystem-specific nature of land tenure arrangements and to counter the tendency for one-size-fits-all solutions. Great progress was made in achieving general agreement on the construction of the problem and a strategy for creating more space for locally mediated and situation-specific land tenure arrangements in drylands and recognition of the validity of these arrangements by higher authorities.

The workshop discussed the specificity of land tenure arrangements as it relates to the nature and requirements of dryland livelihood systems. Participants strategized on how to best influence policy by opening up the policy debate on land tenure amongst both donors and government challenging the emerging land tenure policies favouring high potential areas (i.e. rainfed areas) which may be inappropriate to drylands livelihood systems.

In preparation for the workshop, ILC prepared an Analysis of International Development Agency Land Policies, a comparative review of land tenure policies of the major actors (World Bank, EU, bilaterals, etc.) highlighting their divergence or convergence and to what degree they take into account the types of issues which are dominant in dryland socio-ecological systems (draft available in English and French). UNDP-DDC commissioned the Drylands Land Tenure Challenge Paper, a synthesis of regional studies, will also be used as a background discussion for the workshop (draft available in English and French).

The outcomes of this workshop include the formation of a network of development partners, civil society, national policy makers, and research to:

raise the specific needs for land tenure in drylands on the national and international policy agendas.

build the capacity of partners at local, national, regional and global levels.

initiate, facilitate and sustain policy debate on land tenure in drylands.

Also, an E-conference is currently held to follow on and further explore issues/ideas emerging out of four working group themes of the Nairobi workshop. It aims to include stakeholders and interested parties beyond the expert consultation as an avenue for drawing upon diverse experiences and knowledge.

The discussions are hosted by FRAME, a gateway to sharing knowledge within the environment and natural resources management community, who joined UNDP-DDC, ILC and CAPRi in this effort.

To register in the forum send an email containing only your full name to framemail@irgltd.com, once you have registered you will receive a reply confirming the same and explaining you how to contribute.

For further information or to join the network, you may contact the following focal points: